"There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments"

Janet Kilburn Phillips

Springing into action!

Things are beginning to get busy and the greenhouse is filling up. I was hoping to get this newsletter out last week, but with these sunny days we've been having I've been making the most of them working on the Lottie.

So what have we got in store for you this month?

What to sow and grow in April.

Growing potatoes in containers.

Did you know?

Not all weeds are equal - Nettles

And lastly, Lottie news and members questions.

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What to sow and grow in April.

Most vegetable seeds can be sown directly into the ground, but it does depend on what you are sowing and what month you are sowing them in. I personally like to sow my seeds in plug pots or modules in the greenhouse or on a sunny windowsill first and then when they have got to a certain size, I transfer them into the ground. This way I feel they have a better chance of surviving. There are a couple of vegetables though that should always be sown directly into the soil and they are Carrots and Parsnips

Now is the month to start your Carrots and Parsnips along with Beetroots, Swiss Chard, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Leeks, Radish, Turnips, Peas and Perpetual Spinach.

You now might want to start your Tomatoes off indoors and if you haven't already, your first and second early Potatoes, not indoors of course. 😁

Potatoes in Containers

Over the years I've grown quite a few potatoes with reasonable success, but because of my limited space on the allotment and the fact that they take up quite a bit of space to grow, I decided to grow my potatoes in containers. This freed up my beds for other veggies and I was really surprised at the results. If you’ve got limited space and you still want to grow potatoes this is an excellent way to do it. I mean there's nothing like the taste of freshly harvested potatoes.

Did you know?

One teaspoon of topsoil contains around 1 billion individual microscopic cells and around 10,000 different species. Microorganisms are what keep your soil full of nutrients. One teaspoon of soil contains more living organisms than there are people in the world.

Lottie News!

Last month we saw some very spring like weather with temperatures getting up to 19C (66F) but we were all lulled into a false sense of security as they were followed by some very frosty nights and very chilly days.

The purple sprouting broccoli had its first harvest and very tasty it was too. We've also had quite a bit of Swiss chard as well. The broad beans have begun to flower and are putting on quite a bit of growth, which was good to see. And there's no sign of the black fly yet.

Lots of seeds had been sown including the really tiny Celeriac and Celery seeds. I'd sown some celery and covered them in compost forgetting that they need light to germinate. So I sowed another batch and only covered them with a light layer of Vermiculite. Now it appears that I have over 30 celery seedlings as both lots have germinated. Oops!

I finally managed to sieve the Comfrey tea that I'd made back in September, well I didn't, the lovely Geezer hubby did it for me. I was surprised that it didn't smell as bad as people said it would.

Zinnia and Calendula seedlings are ready to be re-potted before I decide where they will go on the Lottie. I'm looking forward to having a bit of colour this year on the plot as well as helping our lovely pollinators.

Weeds, good or bad? - Nettles

Falling from a tree into a large bed of nettles is one of my less pleasant memories of childhood. I'm sure we've all had a run in with Stinging Nettles at some point in our lives. These invasive weeds, like Dandelions, are not all bad though, in fact they are quite beneficial to not only gardeners but us humans alike.

Now is the time to harvest Nettles, picking the new top growth before they start to flower, making sure you have a substantial pair of gloves to wear so as not to get stung. Nettle fertiliser is full of Nitrogen, which is great for all leafy vegetables. Check out the video to see how you can make it for free.

Members Questions.

"I thought you had to dig over the soil every season, but I keep hearing about this 'No-dig' method, what's that all about?"

In basic terms, a no dig garden is a growing method which feeds your soil, helps control weeds and saves your back in the process. You simply add layers of nitrogen- and carbon-rich materials in which to grow your plants in. These layers break down over time to create a rich growing environment above the soil.

If you have a food gardening question you'd like to ask just pop me an email and I'll see how I can help. I don't proclaim to be an expert, but I will do my best to answer any of your questions.

In the meantime, if you know of anyone who might like to become a FG4A member do feel free to forward them this email and get them to visit the website and sign up, it's free!

Or you can always catch up with what I've been up to on Facebook or instagram.

Keep safe.

Christine x

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